Liquid-separator.



W. L. MORRIS.

LIQUID SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2?, I911- Patented July 27,1915.

WIlLLIAM L. MORRIS, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO S. F. BOWSER 82;GO., INC, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INIDIANA.

LIQUID-SEPARA'IOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1915.

To all whom it may concern devices whereby the water and oil or oils maybe permitted to separate by their diflerence in gravity, and todischarge automatically the water to the sewer and the oil to its placeof storage.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means in agravity liquid separator for sealing the oil during the process ofseparation, so that the oil will not be exposed to evaporation or firerisk.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a gravity separatorof the class described an improved adjustable water overflow so arrangedthat the line between the oil'and the water ered at will. A stillfurther object is an improved arrangement of water discharge from thebottom of the separator either to the overflow or to the sewer, or both,under the control of the operator.

Other objects of the invention are hereafter described, reference beinghad to the drawing forming a part of the specification, and finallypointed out in the appendedclaims.

Inthe said drawings Figure 1 is an'elevation view in section of theessential parts of the entire device; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectionalview on broken line 2-2 Flg. 1; Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive are detailsectional views showing the various operated positions of the three-wayvalve controlling the water overflow-and discharge outlet.

As a receptacle in which to receive the mixture of materials comprisingoil, as kerosene, gasolene, or lubricating oils, and water, a tank isprovided, preferably although not necessarily circular in form, asillustrated,

the vertical walls of which are indicated by the reference character 10,the circular bottom member attached thereto by 11. The

may be raised .or low-' mixture of the materials to be separated ispreferably admitted through the bottom 11 of the tank as through pipe12, passing through bottom 11 at 13 and terminating some d1stance abovethe bottom on the intenor of the tank, preferably with a suitablespreader to discharge laterally instead of vertlcally, as indicated as14. The spreader 14 may be of any suitable or desirable construction,that shown being merely a T joint discharging horizontally in twoopposite directions. The height of the dlscharge outlet 14 of the intakepipe 12 will be dependent upon the size and relative proportions of thetank, and the same will usually befound at about the normal line ofseparation between the oil and the water within the tank, as the oilbeing lighter than water will rise, while the water will settle to thebottom of the tank, where it may be discharged through the dischargepipe 15, communicating with the interiorof the tank through the bottom11, past the adjustable three-way valve 16, which may be set todischarge the water directly through the pipe 17 to the sewer, asillustrated bythe p0sition of the valve in Fig. 5, or if the valve flow20, thence dropping downwardly into 1 the pan 21 surrounding thevertical pipes 18 and 19. Discharge from the pan21 is effect ed throughthe vertical pipe 22, which is tapped into discharge pipe 17 'beyond thevalve 16.

The oil seal is comprised in the cylindrical member 23, to the upper endof which the top cover 24 is secured, completely sealing the same. Thetop cover 2e extends outwardly from the periphery of the cylindricalsealing member 23 beyond the upper extremity of the casing 10, and hasits outerperiphery flanged, as indicated at 25. For the purpose ofremoving the top cover and the sealing member attached thereto asuitable handle, as indicated at 26,

is secured to the top cover.

to the sewer as shown in Fig. 3, to cause the water passingthroughdischarge pipe 15 to enter the vertical pipe 18, the materialwithin the tank or casing 10 will continue to rise until it reaches thelevel of the upper discharge portion of the pipe 18 or overflow member20. Upon the .valve 16 being closed to the sewer the liquid within theseal will rise higher and until it reaches the upper extremity of theoil dischar' e pipe 2 and the funnel shaped receptac e communicatingwith this pipe and secured.

to its upper extremity, the same being indicated by the referencecharacter 28. The

tom 11 oft e tank or casing 10, and has a portion extending thence belowand to the oil storage or other suitable means, such pipe beingindicated by the reference char-- acter 29. The spreader 14 isconstructed as shown and described to prevent the incoming fluid fromtoo violently agitating the u per stratum of the fluid within the seal.

he separation of the oil and water will take place due to gravity, theoil rising and the water finding 1ts way .to the bottom, the stratum ofoil being indicated in the drawing by the reference character 30, andthe water31. -It w ill be noticed that the cylindrical sealing member 23does not extend en-. tirely to the bottom 11 of the tank or closure,but'terminates somewhat short of it, allow-.-

ing room for the passage of liquid in order to effect a liquid sealwhich will consist mostly of water, as indicated by the refer- 'encecharacter 32. If for'any reason the cover 24 andv the seal 23 securedthereto be removed from the tank or. closure 10 while the closure isfull of themixture of oil and water in process of separation'or aboutto" be so arated, the outer surrounding portion .32 0 liquid between thecylindrical sealing member 23 and the outer walls of the" tank or'closure will contain mingled oil and water. After separation takes placeand the oil rises to the top, such oil may be drawn oif by means of asuitable stop cock, as indlcated at 33, secured to the outer wall of the1 closure or tank 10 and communicating with the interior. The section ofpipe 19 comprising a portion of the water overflow pipe being anextension of the vertical pi e 18 has its upper extremity screw threa edfor a considerable, distance, as indicated at 19, for the purpose of adjustably receiving the overflow reader member 20, which may be secured tereto if desired by means of the nut 34'.

By adjusting the overflow or spreader member 20 to various ,heights'thehne.v between the oil and the water withm the tank or the water dischared from the bottom of the separator may e under complete controlreferably tapped into the botfound in the peculiar construction of theoverflow spreader member 20, thelower;

oflf cook 16, as illustrated in Fig. 5, allowing the water from thebottom of the seal within the closure to pass directly to the sewer.

Or if desired the cock 16 may bev adjusted as indicated in Fig. 4 todeflect a 1 portion of water within the pipe 18 to prevent the too ra iddischarge from the bottom of the seal, but at the same time. to allow aportion of the. discharge to pass directlyto the sewer. I

An important feature of the invention is outer peripheral edge of whichis provided with a sharp continuous depending flange In,- order that theinvention might I be understood, the details of the preferred embodimenthave been specifically shown and described, but it is not desired tobelimited thereto,., and l What I claim is:

1. In a liquid separator, the combination with a tank of an intake pipeextending through the bottom of the tank, a discharge pipe extendingthrough the bottom of the tank and being provided with an intakeadjacent the zone of the lighter liquid, a

discharge pipe for the heavier liquid, said discharge pipe having anintake adjacent tank, and a liquid seal comprising a hollow cylindricalmember of less diameter than the bottom of the tank, a top cover for thethe diameter of the tank and being secured 3 at its upper extremity tothe tank cover to form a closuretherewith and extending to a pointadjacent the bottom ofv the tank whereby a circumferential space isprovided between the outer wall of the cylindrical liquid seal and theinner wall of the-tank.

2. In a liquidseparator, the combination with a tank, of an intake pipefor the liquid to be separated, extending through the bottom of thetank, a discharge pipe extending throu h the bottom of the tank andbeing provi ed with an intake adjacent the zone of the lighter liquid, adischarge pipe for the heavler liquidextending through the bottom of thetank,- and having an intake adjacent the said bottom, a removable topcover for the tank, and a liquid seal com prising a hollow cylindricalmember seable tank cover to form a closure therewith and being open atthe top and extending to a point adjacent but not contiguous to thebottom of the tank, the said cylindrical mem- 12$ cured at its upperextremityto the remov- I ber surrounding the said intake pipe for theliquid to be separated and the discharge pipe for the lighter liquid andbeing separated from the walls of the tank whereby with a tank of meansfor introducing liquidsto be separated through thebottom thereof,comprising a pipe having a discharge portion above the bottom of thetank, a discharge pipe for the lighter liquid, with an intake adjacentthe zone of the lighter liquid near the upper part of the tank, adischarge pipe for the heavier liquid having an intake adjacent the"bottom of the tank and a liquid seal comprising a hollow cylindricalmember closed at its upper extremity, and being positioned on the insideof the tank with its lower extremity adjacent but not contiguous to thebottom of the tank, and being'of a suflicient size whereby an annularspaceis formed between the outer periphery of the cylindrical sealingmember and the walls of the tank, and at the same time surrounding andsealing the upper extremities of the said intake and discharge pipes ina common closure in cooperation with liquid within the tank. a

4. In a liquid separator, the combination with a tank'of' an intakepipefor the liquids to be separated, extending through the bottom of thetank,-a discharge pipe extending through the bottom of the tank andbeing provided with an intake adjacent the zone of the'lighter liquid,-a discharge pipe for the heavier liquid extending through the bottom ofthe tank and having" an intake adjacent said bottom, a removable coverfor the tank, a liquid seal comprising a hollow cylindrical membersecured at one extremity to the tank cover, and forming a sealtherewith, and extending to a point adjacent the bottom of the tank, anda'n'overflow in the discharge pipe for the heavier liquid, comprising avertical valve controlled pipe communicating with the discharge pipe andhaving an adjustable overflow at its upper extremity, a return pipecommunicating with the overflow at one extremity and with the dischargepipe beyond the said valve controlled vertical overflow pipe at itsother extremity.

5. In a liquid separator, the combination with a tank, of means forintroducing liquids to be separated through the bottom thereof, adischarge pipe for the lighter liquid with an intake adjacent the zoneof the'lighter liquid and passing downwardly through the bottom of thetank, a discharge pipe for the heavier liquid, with an intake adjacentthe bottom of the tank, passing downwardly through the bottom of thetank, a liquidseal comprising a cylindrical member provided with a topclosure memher, the circumference of which is extended to form a topclosure member, also for the tank, there being an annular space betweenthe outer periphery of the cylindrical memher and the tank walls, andmeans for discharging the lighter liquid from the said annular spacethrough the tank wall.

6. The combination with a tank of an inner gas tight compartment open atthe bottom and'having an inlet for the mixed oil and water and an oiloverflow passed up through this opening, and an outer receptacle with aWater overflow, the oil and Water overflow set so the line between theoil and water will be maintained above the opening in the innercompartment.

- In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 28th J; W. BURROWS,C. M. SMITH.

